Name: Lawrence Chia Position: Senior Director, Ultrasound, ASEAN Pacific Location: Singapore
Looking back, my journey into the Healthcare industry was no coincidence. My father used to work in healthcare, at an MNC. Growing up, it seemed to make perfect sense that I too should be in healthcare. I spent many years in other global MNCs, but after joining Philips, I knew that this is where I truly belonged. Philips is one of the few companies in the world that is fully focused on solutions across our health continuum, and I feel excited to be a part of such a progressive organisation.
Innovating and helping others to have a better quality of life is something that we take very seriously.
Diversity of talent working towards a common goal What struck me about Philips is the diversity of talent that I have not experienced anywhere else before. Just in my team alone, we have people from many different countries – Australia, India, Malaysia, Spain – just to name a few. This diversity helps to encourage fresh ideas from different perspectives. There is one thing that unites us all – the common drive to want to help change and improve lives. I was also pleasantly surprised to learn about the Philips culture. Unlike other companies which can be extremely process driven or takes a top down approach to things, here at Philips it’s all about consensus. This mindset is consistent across various Philips offices I’ve been to.
There's respect for each individual and there's a free flow of ideas.
Conquering challenges through innovation I see my colleagues around me as heroes. They are driven by a purpose of improving the lives of people and this is the work we all take very seriously. We take pride that healthcare providers rely on our innovation and technology to aid them in their diagnosis. Previously, you might not be able to imagine performing an ultrasound scan on a handheld device which provides ease of use, mobility and quality at an affordable rate. Today, this is all possible in the size of a transducer. This came about from years of R&D, pioneered by heroes with great minds. It is the culture of innovation at Philips that also help to put us at the forefront of cutting edge health technology trends
We are at our best when you are at your best: autonomy and empowerment I enjoy a great deal of autonomy and empowerment in my role with Philips and in return, I too, empower my team to make decisions for the benefit of the business. I came to Philips after several years of working very long hours and that left very little time for my family. I found Philips to be much more supportive in encouraging a proper work-life balance. It is especially important me with my busy travel schedule and I’ve four children. Finding time for them will always be a challenge. Although I am still busy with work, I appreciate that I do get to spend more time with my family these days compared with the past. This is in part due to the autonomy that I am given; which helps me to better manage my time. I am constantly amazed by the people working around me and I feel that we are all driven by the same desire to help improve the lives of others. As I watch my children grow up, I can only hope that one day, they too will be filled by the same desire to help improve the lives of others around them.
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